Environmental awareness and sustainable food consumption evidence from a correlational meta-analysis

In the context of climate change, environmental degradation, and the need to strengthen sustainable food systems, environmental awareness has been considered a key factor for understanding sustainable food consumption. However, previous evidence reported heterogeneous findings, limiting clear conclusions about the magnitude and stability of this relationship. This review aimed to quantitatively synthesise the available evidence and evaluate the magnitude, consistency, robustness, publication bias, and contextual differences in this association. A correlational meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches were performed in Scopus and Web of Science. Peer-reviewed articles in English or Spanish were included when they examined the relationship between environmental awareness and sustainable food consumption and reported sufficient quantitative data. Data were organized in Microsoft Excel, and statistical analyses were performed in RStudio using random-effects models, sensitivity analysis, publication bias assessment, and subgroup analysis by economic context. The synthesis included 35 studies from emerging and Developed economies economies. The random-effects model showed a moderate positive association between environmental awareness and sustainable food consumption, with a pooled correlation of 0.30 [0.29; 0.31] and moderate heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis indicated generally stable findings, although some influential cases were detected. The funnel plot showed a relatively balanced distribution, but publication bias could not be completely ruled out. Subgroup analysis showed similar correlations in emerging and Developed economies economies. Environmental awareness was a relevant but insufficient predictor of sustainable food consumption, whose effect depended on cultural, social, emotional, institutional, and market-related factors.